Episode 43/Chapter 2: Reunited (2)
TL: Tsubak
ED: Ren
"For Asgard and the nine realms!"
"For Asgard and the nine realms!"
"Wahaha!"
The warriors who were gathered in one place laughed and raised their drinks. There had been many that enjoyed a time like this since the invasion of the giants over Asgard started.
The place the warriors of Valhalla were having a feast at was one of the hidden bases of Asgard. They had been made in case Asgard was taken over and it also served as a shelter, as it was located deep underground.
"Warriors, lower your voices a bit. It will be big trouble if we get heard by the giants."
Reginleif stood on the table and spoke with an exaggerated voice. It was a kind of joke but it seemed like it worked well or the warriors were acting formal, as they grabbed their stomachs and laughed.
"Kukuku."
Reginleif also laughed, because she was in a good mood, as her joke had worked. She turned to look at the warriors and raised her horn cup.
"Hey, let's raise one more toast. What shall we toast for this time?"
An answer came back as soon as she asked. The warriors yelled in one voice, as if they had agreed to it beforehand.
"For Idun."
"For Idun's warrior!"
The warriors raised their cups once again and the Valkyries did the same. Everyone in that place became one and called out Idun's name.
It was because they wouldn't have been able to set up this feast if it wasn't for Idun's warrior. They wouldn't have been able to gather once again like this.
Adenmaha trembled slightly at the sincere voices of the warriors. She kept smiling, because she felt really good.
It was because she felt happy that Tae Ho had been recognized by everyone but there was one more reason. Adenmaha looked at the two people in front of her and her eyes reddened.
"I'm glad. You were safe."
"You too senior."
Sigrun and Gudrun, and especially Gudrun, answered with red eyes just like her. Sigrun stuttered, her face red because of the alcohol.
"The souls of the warriors that died the first day headed to Valhalla but as for the ones that died after that, their souls… the reason for that was that Valhalla got sealed."
Sigrun and Gudrun were safe but not all the warriors of Idun's legion were safe as well.
Five from twelve.
That was the number of warriors that had lost their lives under the lead of the two Valkyries.
Sigrun closed her eyes tightly. The moment when the warriors faced their second death still lingered in front of her eyes.
It wasn't a glorious and heroic death on the battlefield. Most of the warriors had died by the natural disasters generated by the magician king.
Of course, no one thought about denigrating their deaths but they couldn't do anything about feeling bad. Sigrun felt fearful. What would happen from now on? Would the happiness they felt today continue?
Adenmaha grabbed her hand and then smirked a bit like a fool when Sigrun raised her head reflexively.
"Everything will turn out well, so don't worry. Okay?"
Adenmaha also felt uneasy but she still hit her chest and Sigrun ended up laughing at that. She nodded and answered that she would do so.
"But senior, can you introduce her once again?"
Gudrun changed the subject with a cheerful voice. Her eyes were directed to the black-haired beauty who kept sticking to Adenmaha since the battle had ended.
"Oh, look at me."
She had forgotten about the introductions because the happiness the reencounter brought was too great. Of course, she did tell them her name but she didn't have to stop there.
"This is Nidhogg, just like I told you before. She's a Valkyrie of our legion, so she's your junior. Should I say that she's the maknae?"
Nidhogg blinked as Adenmaha put her hand on her shoulders and then smiled happily.
"I like junior."
Being a junior meant that she had seniors. It meant that she wasn't alone. That's why she really liked the ring to it.
"I'm Nidhogg. Tae Ho Master's first… second dragon."
Nidhogg was about to say that she was the first dragon but hurriedly edited her words when she sensed Adenmaha glaring at her.
Adenmaha embraced Nidhogg once again because she was really cute and Nidhogg hugged her back.
It was quite a heartwarming scene but Sigrun and Gudrun turned to look at each other instead of smiling warmly. Gudrun frowned and asked in a low voice, "Um… senior. Is Nidhogg that Nidhogg?"
She was referring to the black dragon, Nidhogg.
Adenmaha nodded.
"She is that Nidhogg. She's really nice and big. But I think that she's a bit too fat."
A reaction came back instantly as Adenmaha added some weird words at the end.
"Not fat, not fat. Adenmaha is lying. I really like Adenmaha, but slightly dislike her."
Nidhogg pouted and started to grumble but Adenmaha embraced her a bit tighter and whispered.
"But I like Nidhogg?"
"Ehehe. Actually I also like you."
Nidhogg buried her face in Adenmaha's chest. Her posture became quite weird because of the difference in height but Nidhogg still liked being embraced like that the best.
Sigrun and Gudrun blinked. Adenmaha, who induced this situation on purpose, smiled brightly and patted Nidhogg's back.
"Just as you see, she's harmless. No, is she harmful because she makes my heart beat roughly because of her cuteness?"
"Senior, you are still the same."
"Right."
Adenmaha's eyes sharpened as Sigrun and Gudrun spoke exasperatedly.
"Wait, what does that mean?"
What could that mean?
Then when the two of them looked at each other and were about to bring out an excuse…
"She is like a lone beautiful flower that bloomed in the battlefield! For Siri!"
"Hey! Bracky!"
Bracky raised his cup with a bright face and Siri yelled with a red one.
The warriors of Valhalla laughed at that and enjoyed themselves.
"How noisy."
"Right. It's nice to see this."
Tae Ho answered Rasgrid's words. He was a bit worried about Bracky's future, as he was being dragged to a corner by his ear by Siri, but would something really happen?
'Poor Rolph. My eyes are really accurate.'
He had noticed it when she had heard that he resembled his younger brother.
Cuchulainn sympathized with Rolph and clicked his tongue and meanwhile Rasgrid and Tae Ho wore awkward expressions as they looked at Siri kicking Bracky's shin to make him collapse.
"They… are a good match, right? That's the case, right?"
"Probably."
Siri dragged Bracky once again and went somewhere out of sight.
'Hey, chase them quickly. Or at least throw Gae Bolg near them. Let me see something nice.'
Tae Ho ignored Cuchulainn's nonsense like always and concentrated on Rasgrid. She continued looking at her cup, and then spoke while looking at Tae Ho.
"Is the next dispatch tomorrow?"
They didn't have the time to stay in one place for long. Tae Ho nodded once and then answered while thinking of Asgard's map.
"They will also be strengthening their supply routes, so this time I'm thinking of striking a place that's a bit farther. We can also provoke Tauchi a bit more. It would be good if more chasers stuck to us."
There were several reasons why Tae Ho was roaming the outskirts and executing a guerrilla tactic.
They would weaken the army of the magician king surrounding Valhalla at least a little. He would make the main army head out and decrease their numbers.
Also, at the same time, it would pull their attention to them. It would be impossible to make them concentrate on his group completely but they would still lose focus a bit.
It had been a success until now.
Tae Ho had diminished the supplies by burning several supply routes and had also made the giant king Tauchi get outside. In addition, the survivors of Valhalla had been added.
But that wasn't enough.
The giants would surely simplify the supply route and strengthen their armies at any time.
There was also a limit to the number of survivors they could muster from outside.
The aftereffect of the Great Disaster that the magician king had generated was much bigger than they had imagined. All the fortresses in the outskirts had collapsed and many warriors and Valkyries had lost their lives during the following invasion of the giants.
The reason Freya had sealed up Valhalla was because she could only do so. She didn't have any other options.
It was the sixth day since he had returned to Asgard.
Tae Ho was waiting for the right moment.
Valhalla still needed more time…
…Time until Odin finished with what he was doing outside of Asgard.
…Time until Kaldea, who had gone to the Temple, returned with reinforcements.
Tae Ho knew of it, unlike the other warriors.
He knew that Valhalla wouldn't be able to endure for much longer. It would be able to last a few more days, at most.
"Odin will soon transmit good news."
Rasgrid spoke while smiling. It seemed as if her smile was faked but she was trying hard to make Tae Ho feel comfortable even by a little.
Tae Ho also smiled, because Rasgrid would also be feeling uneasy. It was good to laugh, at least for the other.
"Of course. Kaldea would have already reached the Temple by now, right?"
"Probably. Honestly speaking, I can't say for sure as I don't know much about the Temple. But I believe Kaldea will be doing well."
Moving to another world wasn't common, even for Valkyries. Even Hildegrid, the Valkyrie of Freya's legion, who was the one to bring Tae Ho to this world, had said that she had only experienced moving to another world once.
'Don't worry too much. The Temple has a blood alliance with Asgard since the Great War, so they will also send reinforcements this time.'
Tae Ho nodded at Cuchulainn's words.
Rasgrid, who was aware of her surroundings, raised her cup lightly and said, "Let Idun's blessing accompany you."
"Let Idun's blessing accompany you."
Tae Ho also raised his cup and said the same words. He thought of Heda and Idun and drank from his cup.
&
The night deepened.
The magician king, Utgard Loki, looked at the seal that was covering Valhalla entirely.
It was a circular barrier that emanated a faint light. It had a simple structure that only blocked things from outside and inside but it was also quite sturdy. You could say that that was the archetype of the great barrier surrounding Midgard.
The magician king opened his eyes sharply. The seal was now weakened to the extent that he could see it with his eyes, even when he didn't use magic. It would probably be able to endure for four more days.
'I won't get toyed with by you.'
The magician king had ordered the giant king, Tauchi, to chase Idun's warrior but he hadn't thought about it further than that.
It was because his objective was clear anyways. Pouring in forces just to catch him was a really childish thing to do.
A decisive battle in a short term.
This battle wasn't a long term one at all. He would send in forces to Valhalla when its seal broke and invade it. He would kill the Gods and warriors of Asgard and destroy the last fortresses completely.
After that, he just had to regroup with Harmarti and face Thor.
It was quite painful to have the supply routes cut but it hadn't become a problem as they still had supplies for fifteen more days. In addition, they would be able to plunder the supplies of Valhalla when they took it over.
The battle had already tilted to one side. Idun's warrior wouldn't be able to influence the battle greatly just by executing a guerrilla tactic.
But there was still something bothering him.
One doubt remained in him.
'How did it happen?'
Didn't Idun's warrior die by the World Wolf?
Or perhaps, he had mistaken Idun's warrior for another warrior.
It was entirely possible. Everything had happened in an instant and the magician king hadn't seen Idun's warrior directly. He had only heard what others told him.
In addition, it was also true that he was more focused on Loki and Odin than on Idun's warrior.
'There's a high possibility that another warrior died in his stead on that day.'
It was more natural to think that way. It was because none other than the World Wolf had gulped him down.
'But…'
If the one that had trespassed that day was really Idun's warrior…
And if he was still alive regardless of that and was executing a guerrilla tactic…
The magician king closed his eyes. He could only think of one name.
'Odin.'
The king of Gods. He was born with the fate to die by the World Wolf but regardless of that, didn't stop resisting. So he was a childish yet clever God of War.
There were also possibilities that he was alive.
But those possibilities were low. It was because he had suffered severe wounds even before getting eaten by the World Wolf. Perhaps, Odin had made Idun's warrior escape alone by struggling for the last time.
'That's more likely.'
It was more likely, because Odin's aura had completely disappeared. Even the World Wolf, which was connected to him by fate, was certain that he had disappeared.
But the magician king didn't come to quick conclusions. He still took into account the possibility that Odin was alive.
'But it won't change much.'
Even if Odin was alive and the black dragon Idun's warrior controlled was Nidhogg…
Four days from now.
It was the time left until the seal on Valhalla broke.
< Episode 43 - Reunited (2) > End
TL note: Thanks for reading~